Burning History
by Crimson Wings Of Light
Summary: Mei has no clue why her mother never went to the Valley of Peace. She arrives there, determined to begin a new life, but isn't prepared to meet her history at full-force and face true evil. Rated K now, could change to T later on. Placed a couple decades after KFP 2. R&R!
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: This is my first fanfiction, so I could use a lot of tips or advice on what to and stuff like that. I don't own Kung Fu Panda, but most of the characters I WILL own like Mei, her mother, the two unimportant geese and so on. I don't own Tai Lung, though.**

Prologue

"Mother…what's wrong?"

A figure in a darkened cave walked over to another one, who was lying down. Gold eyes flashed upon the standing figure's face.

"I am getting old…"

"I know that, mother," the standing figure whispered. Her voice quavered a bit, and she knew what was coming, though she wanted it to be false.

The figure on the thin blanket nodded weakly. "You do, Mei-Mei. You also know what I am going to say, aren't you?" She said a sparkle in her eye.

Mei scowled at her nickname her mother had given her when she was young and she crouched down. "Mother, don't talk that way. You're going to be fine."

Mei's mother ignored her. "Listen closely, Mei," she instructed, becoming serious. She closed her eyes and exhaled a ragged breath. "I don't have much time. There are things I need to…warn you about."

Mei sighed, her breath ragged as well, but not because of old age. "A-alright, what do you want to tell me?"

Mei's mother nodded and she turned her head towards the roof of the cave and she took a couple breaths to contemplate about her next words.

"Mei…I know you think the Valley of Peace is the answer…" her voice became faint. "But it isn't. People will not—"

"Mother," Mei interrupted. "It's called the Valley of Peace for a reason. They will help us. And they can help you."

Mei's mother shook her head. "No, Mei! There's a reason I do not want to go there, or else I would have already. Now just listen."

Mei sat silently thinking about what her mother had said. There were reasons why she couldn't go to the Valley of Peace, and Mei had a feeling her mother wasn't going to tell her.

"Your father…" the old, sickly figure on the ground coughed and let those words sink in.

Mei was shocked. They would never bring up her father in any conversation. For her, he was just a man that had known her mother. She knew something was about to come— something dark and mysterious.

"What about him, Iris? What does he have to do with this?" She asked, using her mother's name. She tended to say that when she could tell something was wrong. Iris chuckled. "About everything, dear. But do not worry. I have accepted fate…"

_What in the world is she talking about?_ Mei thought worriedly.

"Mei…It's going to be alright. Just—" Her body jerked and Mei's eyes widened with shock. "Mother! Are you…" Her voice faltered. "Is it time?"

"Mei…" she croaked when her body had relaxed. "Water and the herbs…"

Mei was surprised at her mother's request but she hastily got up and gathered the herbs her mother asked for.

Her mother was an old soothsayer, who didn't use her skills very often. Recently, though, she had been receiving a lot of messages.

"Here, mother," Mei said, placing the herbs next to a small bowl of ashes.

Iris sat up slowly and her golden eyes reflected off of the water brightly. She grabbed a handful of each herb and tossed it into the ashes.

Blue flames appeared, which almost burned her whiskers, and a cloud of smoke surrounded her.

Mei paced around the cave, her hands becoming sweaty and a strange gnawing at her heart forming. What was she going to see? What sort of message was she receiving?

After what seemed like an eternity, Iris gasped and was panting. "M-Mei…" She slowly sank back to the ground and her breath was even rougher than before.

"What was it mother? What did you see?" Mei asked, clutching her mother's shoulder gently. Iris let out another harsh breath and then replied. "There might be hope after all…" Mei looked at her mother wildly. "Mother, what did you see?" She asked more firmly.

Golden eyes stared back at Mei and Iris sighed. Suddenly, Iris's golden eyes seemed to turn a hue of blue.

"_When dawn turns to day, nothing will stay. Love can be the basis of tragedy, but love is not the enemy."_

Iris suddenly gasped again and Mei stared fearfully back at her. "M-mother?"

Iris looked up at her daughter through sorrowful eyes. "It's going to be okay," she whispered. Her eyes, which had turned back into golden, formed tears. "I know you can do it."

"W-what? What do you mean? Mother!"

Iris slowly closed her eyes and whispered another strange message. "_Beware of the master of masters, the one who holds a grudge. Take advantage of the strong thieves, the ones who quickly judge. Hold on to what's true, and you will make it through…"_

Iris took a deep breath and uttered out final words.

"I love you, my little snow leopard."

Her heart slowed to a dead halt and a soft mist whirled around the cave. Mei watched as it circled around and finally disappeared.

Mei gently placed her mother's body on to the stone floor. She stood up and wiped tears that formed from her eyes.

_Mother, I will travel to the Valley of Peace. I will face whatever you feared the most. I'll do it for you, _Mei thought gazing outside of the cave.

She packed all of her possessions quickly and put them in a bag and also grabbed a small bag that used to be owned by her mother. It wrapped around her waist like a belt and she checked the contents of it. There were just a few coins to get her by when she arrived at the Valley of Peace. She made one final tribute to her mother and then without a second thought, she walked out of the cave and began walking down the skinny trail.

* * *

A pair of geese flew through the clouds, enjoying each other's company.

"I'm glad we did this, Peony," one of the geese murmured to the other. The other blushed and replied, "I'm glad too, Jun."

Jun grinned and kept flying when he saw a figure on the mountain side.

A white cat-like figure with brown and black spots.

He faltered and almost fell to his death, but he recovered from his shock and began flying quickly back towards the Valley of Peace.

"What's wrong, Jun?" Peony asked as she saw Jun flying quickly away.

"Follow me, Peony! I must warn Shifu of…of…" He stopped for a breath and didn't want to finish his sentence.

"What are you talking about?" Peony asked incredulously. Jun whipped his head back towards Peony. "Just-just look at the mountain!"

Peony did and then she finally saw the moving object.

The one that looked a lot like…

"T-tai Lung?"


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Yeah, this is the first chapter! I have the second chapter written already and I'm starting the third one so I'll always be a couple chapters ahead of the one I post (I hope). The other chapters will be longer than this one. **

**I do not own Kung Fu Panda, but I do own Mei, the ox, and the newbie guard guy who has no relevance to the story. **

****Chapter 1

Mei arrived at her destination and sighed with relief. She had traveled for three days, walking early in the morning and sleeping late at night. The pain in her sore feet didn't bother her too much, but she had run out of food on the third day and the gnawing of her stomach was getting hard to ignore. She had saved her coins to buy some food; maybe some noodles would be a good idea.

She could see tall mountains surrounding the peaceful village, and the stone buildings had been well used. The howling wind spun around and chilled her, but otherwise, the street was silent.

That was the thing—it was empty. The Valley of Peace was known to be a friendly and busy town. Where was everyone?  
She tried to look through the windows of a building but the shutters were closed. She walked across the street to that building but all of the shutters were closed as well. It was as if she walked into a trap…  
Footsteps were coming quickly behind her. She turned around to see if there was someone who would explain to her what was going on, but she was punched in the stomach and shoved to the ground. Her eyes were blind folded and her mouth gagged. She was lifted up but she struggled, kicking and punching everything she could. She had never had the urge to fight anyone, and she never had, but it seemed like an instinct. Whoever was clutching her arms to tie her hands was having a hard time. She ducked down and jerked her body in every direction, and once she knocked over one guard and was almost able to take her blind fold of until the other one pulled her back.

"Urrrhhh!" She yelled into the cloth that banded her mouth. Her tongue touched it and she instantly had to withdraw it, as it as coated in something very sour.  
"Hrhhh hhrruuuu!" She screamed, still jerking wherever she could.  
"Shaddap, will ya'?" the guard's high pitched voice said. "An' if ya' could stop movin' all aroun' we'll let ya' go down da' easier path, alright?"  
"Don't talk to the prisoner, Zho!" Another barked. This time it was a deep, commanding voice. Probably an ox. His grip was on her left side, and the high-pitched newbie one was on her right…  
"Keep moving!" He commanded.  
Mei began to walk normally, and the guy trying to tie her hands wrapped the rope around them. Once he was done, he walked away somewhere while the newbie guy began to talk again. "I see you have learned ya' lesson. Maybe we will let ya' off ea—" Mei suddenly flung her body towards the right. The newbie was shocked and she crashed into him, sending him to the ground. The ox's hand slipped from her arm and she used the newbie's body as a landing pad but quickly got up before he could grab onto her again.

Her heart was pounding, and it seemed so loud anyone could hear it. Screams and shouts of the newbie guard and ox could be heard throughout the whole village and she began running back the direction they came from, feeling the earth with her feet and desperately trying to untie her wrists. She tugged her right wrist down while lifting the left one up but it was stuck. She cursed and suddenly felt the tiles change direction. She veered left and kept running straight. She heard the more experienced guard quickly advancing on her.  
Mei bent her wrist and tried to untie it that way. Unfortunately, this wasn't a bow tie and she had no luck. She sighed and stopped, feeling the guard's vibrations in the earth. She waited for a moment. When she felt that the ox and the newbie guy were a couple feet away, she crouched down and sprung to the left, her head hitting a wall and the guards falling over. She moaned with the pain and began to crawl backwards.  
She could see a difference in light and she knew someone was standing over her. She moaned at her headache that had formed.

"I thought you were dead," the ox whispered into her ear. She flinched and then something hit her on the back of her head. She yelped and her eyes watered at the sharp pain. She snarled and tried to lean forward but the newbie guy pushed her down and shouted, "Hah! Not so strong after all!"

_How did I get into this mess?_ She wondered. _Maybe this was the stuff mother was warning me about…_

She then sighed and fought back tears.

After a couple seconds, she was lifted up but she didn't fight back. She was already unconscious.


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: I probably won't be able to get new chapters in like I do at the moment. I might try to get a chapter done and updated on Wednesdays, or Saturdays and Sundays. So yeah, here's chapter 2!**

**I do not own Kung Fu Panda, and the only characters I own in this chapter are Mei, Chan and the pig at the hotel. **

Chapter 2

"Fool!"

That was the first word Mei heard when she woke up. Who had been speaking? Her mother never talked to anyone, much less a male.

Suddenly, her mind whirled with the memories. She was being held captive somewhere. She twitched her hand and felt soft bed spread. Why would they give her a bed to sleep on if she was a prisoner?

"Shifu, you must understand! I was being as swift as possible! The newbie messed this all up!" said the ox.

"So why did you let him guard her?" Shifu asked again. Mei realized this 'Shifu' person was the master of the Furious Five! She kept still, wanting to hear more of the conversation.

"I-I-I….I don't know, Shifu," the ox muttered in defeat. "I am sorry I failed you. I will accept any form of…punishment." Mei could tell the ox was bowing down.

"If this was a more serious crime I would have you cleaning the bathrooms with a toothbrush at this very moment!" Shifu exclaimed, pacing around the room. "But there will be no punishment. Now go train!" He commanded. The ox was surprised and quickly bowed lower. "T-thank you, Shifu," he murmured, exiting the room.

Shifu was standing over the bed Mei was sleeping on now. A shadow crossed over Mei's face, and she could tell it was his hand.

She quickly opened her eyes and grabbed his hand. An old red panda's face stared back in surprise and his whiskers hanged from his pointed nose.

"What do you want from me?" she asked, shoving his hand back towards himself, causing him to lose balance.

The master walked towards a window and then back at Mei. She could hear him mutter something about 'the spitting image' and 'Tai Lung'.

"Look, obviously I'm not this Tai Lung guy you guys keep talking about so can you let me go? I'm not threat to you," she said calmly, sitting up. It was a very small room, with just enough space for the bed and two other people. She imagined the ox trying hard not to break something.

"Not a threat? Not a threat?!" Shifu exclaimed, his voice rising. "The Furious Five are off, and then a snow leopard just 'coincidently' walks into town?" He sighed and kept looking out the window murmuring "Inner peace…inner peace…" He then stopped to think about what the confused snow leopard had said.

"You don't know who Tai Lung is?" He asked quietly.

"No! That's what I've been trying to say." Mei said, rising to her feet. Shifu didn't hear her. "Well there's no doubt that you…" He looked up and realized he was speaking out loud. "Don't know who he is," he finished. He gestured her to the door. "Please, you may leave now."

She stared dumbfounded. "I traveled for so long and I don't even get some noodles?" She muttered, exasperated. "It should be called the Valley of Unwelcomed Visitors." Shifu sighed and guided her to the outside of the palace to the palace grounds.

Mei's eyes widened. "W-we're at the Jade Palace," she whispered, breathless. Shifu nodded and kept walking. Soon, they were at the top of the stairs. Below, Mei could see a bird's eye view of the village.

"It's….It's amazing…" she murmured.

Shifu thought for a moment. "Wait here," he said, walking towards the Training Hall.

Mei sat against the stone wall and suddenly clutched her stomach. She was _so_ hungry.

Suddenly, she heard a slithering noise nearby. She jumped up and looked around but couldn't see anybody. She jumped in surprise when a shape came from the shadows and wrapped around her paws and then to her neck.

"Who are you?" Mei asked, more angry than anything else. The snake suddenly perked up and slithered down Mei's back to get to the stone floor.

"My, I'm sorry, I thought you were…someone else," came a gentle voice. Mei recognized that the snake was Master Viper, one of the Furious Five. Her body was a light green and she had intricate dark green patterns along her back.

Mei bowed down. "No, I'm sorry, Master Viper." Viper nodded and Mei stood up. "You thought I was Tai Lung, didn't you?"

Viper tensed slightly at the name. "Yes, I did. It's not very common for snow leopards to come here. What brings you here, to the Valley of Peace?"

"That is for me to know and you to maybe eventually find out."

Just then, Shifu came back with the ox. Mei found that the ox was younger than she first thought, and he was probably around her age. His tail swayed as he followed Shifu silently.

"Viper, I'm glad that you are back safe and sound. Where are the others?" Shifu asked the snake, with a pained expression on his face. Viper slithered towards the palace. "They are safe, but they are all tired and went back to their rooms. I was looking for you. I need to talk to you…in private," she murmured. Shifu nodded and looked at the ox. "Go with the snow leopard and make sure she gets some food and somewhere to sleep. In the morning," he said, looking at Mei now, "You must leave."

"Why?" Mei asked, getting to her feet. "What's wrong with me staying here?" Viper turned her head, equally confused. Shifu shook his head. "You cannot stay. It is too dangerous. Chan," he said, leaning close so only Chan could hear. "Do not mess up this time, got that?" Chan nodded eagerly and Shifu walked back to the building with Viper close behind.

"Let's go," Chan said as the large red gates opened. Mei angrily walked behind him.

Her eyes widened as she exited the palace grounds, only able to see fog, mist, and a tall set of stairs.

"We will be going to Dragon Warrior Noodles & Tofu," Chan said bluntly. He began

descending the flight of stairs.

"What's so special about that place?"

"Po—I mean the Dragon Warrior—used to live there. His father owns the restaurant."

They continued down the stairs that seemed to go on forever.

After a couple minutes, Mei could see the village and she saw it was loaded with people.

"That's strange…" Mei commented. Chan grunted. "What is?"

"When I got here, everything was deserted," Mei finally stepped on to flat ground. "Now it's really busy."

Before Chan could say anything, villagers began to notice Mei and they hustled back to their houses, dropping any deals or bargains they were trying to get. Chan sighed and kept walking.

"'Cause of that. They're scared of you." Mei growled. "Why? I don't even understand what's going on."

Chan shook his head in sympathy. "Look, I'd tell you if I knew, but I don't."

Mei looked away before the smell of noodles came to her nose. She looked around and found the small shop called 'Dragon Warrior Noodles & Tofu'. She ran towards it while Chan was trying to keep up.

A small goose was sitting on a stool and she could see him chopping up vegetables. He was about to say something, but when he looked up at Mei, he couldn't utter a word.

"Sorry to bother you, Mr. Ping, but we'd like to order two medium noodles," Chan said. The goose nodded quickly and began chopping again.

Mei could tell it the restaurant was usually very busy, from all of the tables and the mess.

She felt sympathy for the goose, with his son going out so often and no one else to help him with his restaurant.

"Excuse me, Mr. Ping was it?" Mr. Ping nodded. "Can I borrow this broom?" She was pointing to a broom that was leaning on the wall. Mr. Ping nodded again and asked, "Are you planning to clean up a little bit?"

Mei could hear his thick Chinese accent but she could understand and she nodded. He then nodded again.

Mei gripped the wooden handle and began sweeping the floor. The food was dropped onto the floor recently, so she swept it up quickly and put it in the garbage can.

She remembered a time where she was sweeping the cave and her mother was scolding her for not getting all of the spots clean. Mei smiled inwardly at the memory.

"Noodles are ready," Mr. Ping said, placing two bowls onto the counter.

"Thank you, Mr. Ping," Chan and Mei said, taking the bowls of noodles towards a table.

While they were eating, Chan began to make small talk, much to Mei's dismay.

"So…uh…I didn't catch your name," He said.

"I did that on purpose," she replied to the blue ox. She barely dodged his grey horns as he turned to face her.

"Alright then…What is your name?" He asked.

"Mei," she replied, adjusting her fingerless gloves. Chan nodded and began eating again. He opened his mouth, about to say something, but then his closed it again.

They ate in silence, and Mei was fine with that. Chan, once again, was going to say something but a loud obnoxious voice filled the room.

"Tai Lung! Are you back to see more of my awesomeness?" Mei turned her head but was jerked back from a large, white, and quite bouncy object. She grunted and was shoved so she leaned against Chan.

Mei then crawled under the table and leaped up from the other side. A fat panda with burlap pants with trim stood before her, realization in his eyes.

"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry—" While trying to walk towards Mei, his stomach knocked down a table and scattered chairs. He backed up from the mess and then crashed into another table and set of chairs. Chan slapped his hoof against his face and began picking the chairs and tables up while Po was trying to tip toe around the scattered wooden furniture.

"I thought you were—"

"Tai Lung, yeah, I've heard it before," Mei said, helping Chan pick up the furniture.

"Ah! Po! You should have told me you were coming I could've made some—" "It's fine dad, you don't need to make anything," Po interrupted Mr. Ping. The goose ran up to his son and hugged him, pride in his eyes. "It must be hard fighting all of those bad guys! You must be hungry, let me make a bowl of noodles for you!" Mr. Ping exclaimed, running back to his kitchen. "Dad!" Po whined, running back to follow his father.

Chan picked up a chair and set it beside a table. Mei was about to pick up the last chair when Chan stopped her. "Don't worry about that. I got it," he said, reaching for the stool. Mei shook her head. "No, I got it."

"No seriously, let me take it." Chan reached over to the chair again.

"It's just a chair, I got it."

"No, really, let me take it."

Soon, both of their hands were on the stool. Mei and Chan had a silent stare down until Chan sighed.

"Alright, you can put it away if it means that much to you."

Mei nodded and put it next to the table. Even though it was just a chair, the satisfaction of winning made her feel better.

She then turned to Chan and he was staring at her strangely. Mei blinked and soon the ox seemed to realize she had noticed him looking at her with…a strange look. Mei couldn't identify it.

"Alright, I guess we should go now," she said, walking out of the door, not looking behind her to see if Chan was following.

She walked along the streets that had changed its volume from normal to soft whispers and realized she didn't know where she was going. She was about to turn around to ask Chan when she heard Chan's voice beside her.

"So…tell me about yourself," he began. Mei kept walking down the streets. "No thanks."

Chan sighed and he began talking about his past, thinking if he shared maybe Mei would share.

"My grandfather was Master Storming Ox. He was a good man, you know? He taught my father kung fu and he passed it down to me. Of course, though," he said, pausing. "My father never got to finish…he was killed by a ruthless gang of thugs who call themselves the Stampede. I was sent to the orphanage and adopted by Shifu, just like Master Tigress was. I won't become one of the Furious Five, but Shifu still teaches me kung fu."

Mei nodded slowly, the awkward silence filling the air around them. "I'm sorry about your father," she said, opening the door to the hotel.

Chan thought for a moment. "Mei, I think—I'm sure that I could get Shifu to adopt you like he did with Master Tigress and myself."

"No, it's alri—"Mei turned to face him, the first time during the whole conversation. She could see Chan's features more clearly. His large black snout that every ox had bulged in front of him and his horns jutted from the side of his head. Most oxen had a clear line from their natural look like they were angry, but Chan's line was as faint as ever. His eyes were large and confident, as well as determined.

Mei stared at him but she realized that he wasn't going to back down this time. "Fine," she said, breaking their silent contest. Chan nodded and opened the door. The dusty ground was replaced with a tiled floor and a brightly lit room. Through the large windows, Mei noticed how the sun was alarmingly going down quickly.

As Chan talked to the pig at the front desk, Mei and Chan had another silent contest, arguing over who would pay. As a result, Mei had took many coins from her bag and handed them over to the pig, taking a key for their room. They walked slowly along the long hallways and arrived at the door.

"You should take the bed," Mei stated, opening the door eagerly and falling onto the couch. Chan sighed and sat on the couch with her. "You're taking the bed. I'm taking the couch."

Mei was about to go into another silent contest, but she sighed and jumped onto the bed, landing on it softly. She then dropped her head on the pillow and was about to say something but sleep came over her quickly.

**P.S. My chapters always differ in length so don't expect them always to be as long as this or as short as Chapter 1. I will try to make them at least 1,000 words. **


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Here's Chapter 3, with Chan's POV (kind of). Happy reading!**

**I own Chan and Mei. No one else/Nothing else. **

Chapter 3

Chan was woken up from a dreamless sleep by the smell of something slightly bitter. He sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

Mei was holding a teapot with her large paws. She tilted the spout of it and dull green liquid came out and into a tea cup. "Tea?" She asked. Chan nodded and watched her pour the liquid. "Thank you, Mei," he said. Mei didn't respond and sat down at the small table holding the cup in her hand.

Chan noted that she was similar to Tai Lung–even though his only reference was an old picture of him. Mei had the same look of determination and pride in her eyes, and she had the same muscular arms and legs, but that's where the similarities stopped. Mei's shoulders were small, whereas Tai Lung's shoulders were broad, and Mei had a slightly narrower face. She walked with a type of gentleness that made feel Chan bulky and clumsy.

"Chan?" Chan blinked and realized Mei was holding out the cup of tea. Chan nodded and took the cup, shaking himself out of his thoughts. Mei blinked in confusion but then went back to drinking her daily cup of tea.

Chan hurriedly drank the warm bitter liquid and then walked towards the door. "We should go," he said, opening the door. Mei nodded and placed the tea cup onto the table. She grabbed a small bag that she tied to her waist and then she walked out the door.

The cold air brushed against Chan's horns as he stepped out of the lobby. He shivered a bit and noticed Mei didn't look cold. "You're not cold?" He asked. She shook her head and they began walking down the street. "No," she replied bluntly.

Chan sighed inwardly, hoping to chat with Mei. He always seemed to talk when he was nervous, but that was the opposite of Mei. Of course, Chan could never guess what Mei was thinking or feeling. Her face was always stone-blank.

The villagers seemed to be used to Mei but they were obviously uneasy around her. Chan led her around and soon they were at the bottom of the long set of stairs.

Mei began to run up the steps unexpectedly, and Chan's heart beat fast as he tried to catch up with her. He saw she was running two steps at a time when he called out, "Wait up!"

Mei spun around and waited for Chan to climb the steps up to her. She began walking up the steps when Chan caught up. They kept walking silently until Chan couldn't bare it.

"So…" he began. He peered over at her shirt. "Are those lines purposely put there or accidental?"

Mei glanced at her shirt. It was a tank top the color of a deep purple with lines that looked like claw marks. Under each slash was a piece of black fabric.

"They were accidently put there on purpose," she replied. Chan blinked and Mei sighed, knowing that he would want an explanation.

"All I know is that a long time ago, my mother and I were raided and my shirt, which my mother was sewing at the time, was slashed by a wolf. My mother covered the backs of it with black cloth and she told me that the claw marks represented fierceness and honor."

Chan nodded and soon they arrived at the palace grounds. A big, looming red gate stood in their way. Chan quickly ran around the back. Mei followed him silently, not knowing where he was leading her.

"There is a secret way to get to my quarters from the back gate," he said, arriving at a smaller, brown gate. Chan undid the lock with one of his keys and the gate swung open with ease. He followed a trail that was placed in a small garden. Grass covered the area and large trees and flowers covered the ground.

Chan arrived at a small wooden shack and opened it, revealing a small bed and a chair. Chan pointed to the chair. "You can sit here while you wait," he began. "I will talk to Shifu and convince him to let you stay."

Mei nodded and sat down while Chan walked out the door. "I'll be back soon," he said.

Chan followed the trail until it ended next to a lake. From here, he walked through a confusing arrangement of trees and got to the Training Hall as he did every morning.

He tried not to disturb the Furious Five as they practiced kung fu but they noticed him and quickly, Shifu saw him as well.

"Chan, I hope the snow leopard got out of the village safe and soundly?" He asked. The Five hurriedly kept training but Chan knew that they were trying to listen in on their conversation.

"Well, there's something I want to talk to you about," he said slowly. Shifu marched up to him, the little red panda frightening the ox a bit.

"What? Did she cause trouble for you?" Chan shook his head. "No, it's not that. I was talking to her and I was wondering if…if…" he trailed off, holding back his last words.

Shifu looked at him expectantly. "If? If what?"

Chan gulped. "Well, I really think you could teach her some kung fu. She's perfect for it! She's got the same style as Master Tigress almost—"

"Do not compare that leopard to Tigress!" Shifu interrupted him, causing Tigress to peer over at their conversation.

"She," he continued. "Is nothing like Tigress!" he spat and then muttered a few words under his breath.

The Training Hall was silent now, and the sound of the Furious Five's breaths could be heard from around the room. "If you are thinking that I would adopt her, you are wrong," he said quietly so only Chan could hear. Chan felt as if he was invisible and Shifu saw straight through him.

Chan didn't say anything and only bowed. He then left swiftly and the Five began training again.

Chan quickly walked through the patch of trees towards the trail and then stopped. What was he going to say to Mei? He had promised her that he would get him to adopt her. Maybe he shouldn't have said that she was like Master Tigress?

He wished he could go back in time to speak to Shifu again, or maybe to when he promised her he could get Shifu to adopt her. It was a ridiculous idea, and Present Chan would've stopped Past Chan from saying that.

He sighed and kept walking until the shack was in sight. He kept walking, trying to pretend that Mei would be okay with the idea. Of course, Chan thought, she wouldn't show that. But Chan had a feeling she would be more hurt than she led on.

Chan opened the door with more force than he intended, and Mei quickly stood up and snarled, before seeing it was actually Chan. She sat down and Chan, once again, felt predictable and felt as if she could tell what had happened.

"What happened," she said, more of a command than a question. Chan gulped.

"He…said no," Chan muttered, loud enough for Mei to hear him. Mei blinked and Chan thought he saw a look of disappointment in her face, but it soon turned to blank.

"Fine," she said, pushing past Chan to get to the door. "I'll go now," she said with a hint of anger in her voice.

Chan scurried after her as she walked swiftly towards the gate. "Mei—" Chan began. Mei whirled around.

"What? Have any other excellent plans for me?" She growled. Chan staggered. "No," he said, searching for words. "I…I want to wish you good luck," he said. Mei turned around and kept walking.

"I don't need luck," she said, opening the gate. She slammed it in Chan's face as he tried to follow her. He was about to call out to her before she stopped and stared down at the mist. "Don't follow me," she said, knowing Chan's intentions. Chan felt his heart throbbing, as if he just betrayed and failed a friend. Guilt swarm up to him and he realized that he _did_ consider her a friend, and he failed Shifu for considering the 'bad guy' a friend, but he failed Mei as well. He slumped to the ground and narrowed his eyes, his face in his hands. He then stood up abruptly, checked to make sure no one had been watching, and ran towards the village.


	5. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Okay it's finally here! Sorry for such a long wait and stuff! Sorry if there are grammatical errors and stuff like that. Okay that's it for now so go read!**

**Oh by the way PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW, anything is helpful whether its a compliment or constructive criticism! **

**I only own Mei and Chan. All the other stuff is owned by Dreamworks and stuff!**

Chapter 4

"…And then a huge ox had a huge hammer and I was like 'Behind you Viper!' and then I shoved into him and he fell over and then another ox came and I was like 'I will take you down!' and then he swung his axe at me before I launched into him and sat on him. And then…"

Po continued to tell his side of the story of how they helped a village a couple miles away from The Stampede a few days before. They had been attacking recently, for reasons that were unknown.

Tigress sat in silence as she ate her lunch. The others were staring at Po as he told his story. She found it a bit amusing that he never seemed to eat his lunch although he was always as fat as he had always been.

The loud, obnoxious voice that the Furious Five were used to was getting on Tigress's nerves now. She decided to speak up, to stop the wild stories.

"We get it, Po," she said, everyone stopping to look at her. She stared back down at her bowl of rice and ate more of it.

Viper blinked and slithered towards Tigress. "What's wrong?" She asked. Tigress looked at Viper slowly, knowing that she could always detect when she was irritated.

"Nothing. I was just getting tired of Po's stories. Anyway, we were all there when we fought the Stampede. We all fought well," she said, glancing at her teammates. They nodded and went back to eating, silence filling the air. Tigress could tell Po was about to say something but then thought better of it and shut his mouth. He then gulped down a bowl of rice and couldn't stop himself. "You're just as serious as they say, you know?" he was chuckling a bit, and Tigress couldn't tell if it was from nervousness or pure amusement. "We should hold a party once in awhile, maybe with bean buns," he exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with excitement. To Po's surprise, Crane nodded. "That would be a change," he said, choosing his words carefully. Po kept talking. "We always train and train and we don't do anything fun! My dad could make the noodles," he pointed his chopsticks around the table, "You have to admit, those are delicious!" The Five slowly nodded and murmured in agreement, except for Tigress. She had stopped eating her lunch.

"No," she said sensibly. "We shouldn't. The worst time to have a party is now. The Stampede could be launching another attack soon and I want us to be prepared."

"Tigress is right," Monkey added. "What if they attack during the party?"  
"There will be no party," she corrected him. "We should keep train—"

"Come on, Tigress! We never do anything fun!" The Dragon Warrior pouted. Tigress shot him a glare that could freeze his blood.

"Kung fu isn't about fun," she said. "It's about our duty. You should be honored to be sitting here and talking to us, panda," Tigress said with an edge in her voice.

"Well maybe you should—"

"Po, that's enough," Viper said, slithering over to her. "Even though a party does sound nice, she _is _right. We should be prepared."

Mantis spoke up this time, feeling the tension between Po and Tigress. "We should probably go back to training now…"

"Training, training, training," Po said, angrily. "That's all we ever do! Why can't we relax once in awhile?"

"You didn't even train yesterday," Tigress said, making sure her voice didn't rise. "You sat around eating rice balls." Po stared at Tigress and turned around, muttering, "I bet you don't even know the meaning of fun. You're too serious, geez."

The whole room went silent. Tigress stared at Po's back and the rest of the Five didn't make a sound.

Maybe I'm always serious because I care about our duty! Maybe I'm always serious because I hurt people while I had fun! Maybe I'm always serious because someone around here has to take charge and save your sorry—Tigress stopped her train of thought and slowly stood up, her chair making an eerie squeaking noise against the floor. Her eyes narrowed and she slowly glanced around the room. Everyone made an effort to admire the painting on the wall or the creaking floor boards. Po hadn't turned around, but she could see he knew he had said something wrong.

"I'm going for a walk," she said, turning around. She slowly walked towards the door that led to the Training Hall but then veered left, to the secret gate in the back of the palace.

Stepping outside, wind blasted in her face and tree's leaves rustled. She sighed and walked towards large trees with thick trunks. She stepped in front of one and began punching it.

She remembered punching these trees for training when she was younger, but now she punched them for a stress-reliever.

She felt no pain in punching the tree at full force; it didn't feel like anything. She was satisfied at the result for punching the trees for about 20 years.

Alternating fists, she punched the tree at a steady pace, the rhythm flowing through her body. She was standing in a fighting position, her feet spread apart like the width of her shoulders knees bent and her fist straight out to punch the tree.

She didn't know how long she had been training. Her mind had blanked out and it was peaceful. She was about to stop when she heard a rustle in the bushes. Her rhythm of punching didn't falter, thankfully, and her eyes were perked. She then heard a shaky breath and stopped, quietly stalking around the bush.

She suspected it was Shifu. She was taught always to think fast on her feet, and Shifu would make assessments to see how she would react to real situations.

When she saw the back of the bush, there wasn't anything there. Curious, she stepped a few paces closer and saw a shadow from the tree that was located a couple paces away from the bush. Tigress paused and then began running lightly, leaping into the tree.

She landed at the base of the branches that twisted together. No one was there at first, but then she jerked up and almost leaped at the figure that crouched in the higher branches.

"T-t—" "I am not Tai Lung," the snow leopard said calmly. Tigress narrowed her eyes and nodded slowly. "Well then who are you?" She demanded.

The leopard blinked, and she seemed to know that Master Tigress wasn't in a good mood. "I'm Mei," she said. She slowly crawled closer to Tigress, as if to attack her, but she leaped out of the tree.

Tigress followed her and was slightly amazed at her, now that she could see Mei clearly.

She was very well-built, but somehow slim and elegant at the same time. Her paws were immensely large, a bit bigger than Tigress's own paws.

"Why are you here and why shouldn't I kill you right now?" Tigress snarled. Mei blinked and Tigress could see a bit of sadness in her eyes. "Because have similarities."

Tigress lunged and Mei almost dodged but the tiger's outstretched paw caught her and flung her to the ground.

"We are not the same." Mei twitched her tail angry and could see Tigress's paws close to her next, her claws gleaming. A rock jabbed her back and Master Tigress's breath was warm on her skin. The tiger seemed to radiate a feeling of fierceness and anger.

"We are alone," Mei whispered quietly. "We are judged. We hide behind a mask of emotionless strength to cover up our weaknesses. To cover up our insecurity." Mei closed her eyes and felt them begin to water.

The moment she saw Master Tigress punching those trees, she knew the type of person she was. She was fierce, strong, seemingly emotionless and serious. But Mei could easily see through that. Even though under a trained eye, someone wouldn't be able to guess that.

But Mei could.

She was the same way.

Tigress faltered, her eyes widening but then she narrowed her angry yellow eyes. "I'd like to see where you came up with that," she snarled.

Mei opened her eyes and blinked. "I described myself," she said softly.

Tigress closed her eyes when she heard those words and then let the leopard up. Mei blinked and Tigress began to walk towards the brown gate. She turned around and saw Mei standing there, unsure of what to do.

Tigress walked calmly back towards the iron wood tree and began her exercise again.

Soon, Mei walked over to another tree nearby and copied Master Tigress's stance. After checking over herself, she gave a half-hearted punch.

Tigress smirked as Mei's eyes widened and she gripped her knuckles that had been unexpectedly fallen into pain.

Tigress stood up from her position. "Don't punch so hard at first. Go easy. Over time you gradually punch harder and harder until you can't feel anything anymore," she advised.

Mei nodded and went back to her position, punching the tree lightly. Tigress walked over to her a couple moments later. "Feet wider apart. Relax your shoulders. Steady your breathing," she instructed, as Shifu had done to her years ago. Mei nodded and followed Tigress's instructions. When Mei punched again, she felt that the movement was smoother.

Tigress nodded, satisfaction on her face, and moved back to her tree, her alternating fists matching Mei's and the sound of the trees vibrating matching up.

Soon, the sky grew a shade of grey and Tigress looked over at Mei. She had been looking at the small shed the Chan lived in for the past moments. Tigress was about to ask her something when she heard the Training Hall door open.

"Tigress! What are you—" Shifu stopped when he saw Mei. "What are you doing here?" he asked, a look of anger on his face. Mei narrowed her eyes when Tigress stepped in.

"She was just lost. I was walking with her but I'll bring her back now," she said calmly. Shifu sighed and nodded. "Please do. Lead her out of the village as well."

"What?" Tigress asked, slightly shocked. Why wouldn't Shifu let her stay? Tigress then realized this was what Chan and Shifu had been talking about the other day.

Shifu just shook his head and walked back to the building.

"I'll need another word with Chan…" he muttered.


End file.
